Apparatus and methods for simulating the appearance of a plurality of slot machine reels are provided including a plurality of mechanical cylinders which rotate around a plurality of video displays. The video displays show graphics or video of spinning slot machine reel images and the mechanical cylinders rotate around the video display in coordinated speed with the graphics or video to give the appearance of mechanical slot machine reels.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A gaming machine configured to provide a wagering game and providing a payout based on the wager and the results of the game, comprising: a plurality of disk-shaped cylindrical mechanical reels each provided with a drive mechanism configured to control rotation of the mechanical reel independent of the rotation of the other mechanical reels and each mechanical reel having a transparent curved outer surface, wherein each mechanical reel comprises a pair of rigid circular hoops attached to adjacent sides of a strip of transparent material, the transparent material forming the transparent curved outer surface of the mechanical reel; a plurality of electronic video displays each having a convex curved display surface, wherein one video display is fixedly mounted internally within each mechanical reel so that the mechanical reel is configured to rotate about an axis of rotation around the video display and the convex curved display surface of the video display is adjacent to and visible through the curved surface of the mechanical reel; a plurality of pairs of roller mounts, wherein for each pair of roller mounts: one mechanical reel is rotatably mounted to the pair of roller mounts, one rigid circular hoop of the pair of rigid circular hoops is adjacent to one roller mount of the pair of roller mounts to discourage movement of the mechanical reel in a first direction parallel to the axis of rotation, and the other rigid circular hoop of the pair of rigid circular hoops is adjacent to the other roller mount of the pair of roller mounts to discourage movement of the mechanical reel in a second direction parallel to the axis of rotation, the second direction opposite the first direction; wherein each of the roller mounts comprises an internal roller positioned against an inside surface of a corresponding rigid circular hoop and an external roller positioned against an outside surface of the corresponding rigid circular hoop directly opposite the internal roller; wherein each of the internal rollers in a pair of roller mounts are connected by a first mounting rod and rotate about an axis of the first mounting rod, and each of the external rollers in a pair of roller mounts are connected by a second mounting rod and rotate about an axis of the second mounting rod; and a controller configured to synchronize each drive mechanism and the rotation of each mechanical reel with images presented on the respective video display mounted within each mechanical reel so that movement of the images shown on the video display appears to be synchronized with the rotation of the mechanical reel.
2. The gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive an input indicating the rotational speed of a mechanical reel and to adjust the presentation of the images on the video display within that mechanical reel accordingly.
3. The gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive an input indicating the rotational speed of a mechanical reel and to adjust the speed of that mechanical reel accordingly.
4. The gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the curved display surface of the video display is not concentric to the curved surface of the mechanical reel.
5. The gaming machine of claim 1 , further comprising a processor configured to cause each video display to provide a visual simulation of a mechanical spinning slot machine reel.
6. The gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the mechanical reels do not have spokes and are not affixed about a central axis.
7. The gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein each drive mechanism is a stepper motor configured to mechanically or frictionally engage the mechanical reel and drive the rotation of the mechanical reel.
8. The gaming machine of claim 7 , wherein the stepper motor includes a drive wheel to contact the mechanical wheel at the point of contact.
9. The gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein one or both of the rigid circular hoops are configured with guides to maintain contact between the rigid circular hoops and the internal rollers and to discourage the rigid circular hoops from slipping off the internal rollers.
10. The gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein each pair of roller mounts comprises one of a pair of roller bearings or a pair of idle rollers.
11. The gaming machine of claim 1 , further comprising markings on the transparent curved outer surface of the mechanical reel that simulate the appearance of mechanical reels.
12. An assembly for a gaming machine configured to simulate the appearance of a plurality of slot machine reels, the assembly comprising: a plurality of mechanical cylinders, each cylinder defined by adjacent rigid circular rings and each cylinder having a transparent curved outer surface defined by a transparent band disposed between the adjacent rigid circular rings, each mechanical cylinder being rotatably mounted to a plurality of mounts disposed to support at least one of the rigid circular rings, each mechanical cylinder having an individual drive mechanism configured to independently control the rotation of the mechanical cylinder about a common axis of rotation separate from the rotation of the other mechanical cylinder; a plurality of electronic video displays each having a convex curved display surface for presenting a visual simulation of a mechanical spinning slot machine reel, wherein one video display is fixedly mounted internally within each mechanical cylinder so that the mechanical cylinder rotates around the fixedly mounted video display and the convex curved display surface of the video display is adjacent to and visible through the curved outer surface of the respective mechanical cylinder; a plurality of pairs of roller mounts, wherein for each pair of roller mounts: one mechanical cylinder is rotatably mounted to the pair of roller mounts, one rigid circular ring of the pair of rigid circular rings is adjacent to one roller mount of the pair of roller mounts to discourage movement of the mechanical cylinder in a first direction parallel to the axis of rotation, and the other rigid circular ring of the pair of rigid circular rings is adjacent to the other roller mount of the pair of roller mounts to discourage movement of the mechanical cylinder in a second direction parallel to the axis of rotation, the second direction opposite the first direction; wherein each of the roller mounts comprises an internal roller positioned against an inside surface of a corresponding rigid circular ring and an external roller positioned against an outside surface of the corresponding rigid circular ring directly opposite the internal roller; wherein each of the internal rollers in a pair of roller mounts are connected by a first mounting rod and rotate about an axis of the first mounting rod, and each of the external rollers in a pair of roller mounts are connected by a second mounting rod and rotate about an axis of the second mounting rod; and a controller configured to synchronize the drive mechanisms and the rotation of each mechanical cylinder with the images presented on the respective video display mounted within that mechanical cylinder so that the images shown on the video display appears to move in synchronization with the rotation of the mechanical cylinder.
13. A component for a gaming machine configured to provide a wagering game, the component comprising: a disk-shaped cylindrical mechanical reel having a curved outer surface and being provided with a drive mechanism to control rotation of the mechanical reel, wherein the mechanical reel comprises a pair of rigid circular hoops attached to adjacent sides of a strip of transparent material, the transparent material forming the curved outer surface of the mechanical reel; an electronic video display having a display surface, the video display being fixedly mounted internally within the mechanical reel so that the mechanical reel rotates around the video display and the display surface of the video display is adjacent to and visible through the curved surface of the mechanical reel; and a pairs of roller mounts, wherein the mechanical reel is rotatably mounted to the pair of roller mounts, wherein one rigid circular hoop of the pair of rigid circular hoops is adjacent to one roller mount of the pair of roller mounts to discourage movement of the mechanical reel in a first direction parallel to the axis of rotation, wherein the other rigid circular hoop of the pair of rigid circular hoops is adjacent to the other roller mount of the pair of roller mounts to discourage movement of the mechanical reel in a second direction parallel to the axis of rotation, the second direction opposite the first direction; wherein each of the roller mounts comprises an internal roller positioned against an inside surface of a corresponding rigid circular hoop and an external roller positioned against an outside surface of the corresponding rigid circular hoop directly opposite the internal roller; and wherein each of the internal rollers in a pair of roller mounts are connected by a first mounting rod and rotate about an axis of the first mounting rod, and each of the external rollers in a pair of roller mounts are connected by a second mounting rod and rotate about an axis of the second mounting rod.
14. The component of claim 13 , wherein the curved outer surface of the mechanical reel is transparent.
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January 6, 2014
February 12, 2019
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